Monday, November 19, 2012

Saturday, November 17, 2012

My shop, Green Baboon Designs had the opportunity to work with the amazing online home decor site, One Kings Lane for the holiday season. You can find my felted acorn ornaments here. Get them fast though, because once they sell out on the site there aren't any more available this season.

Monday, October 22, 2012

We're well into October (Hello! My birthday month! Feel free to send presents) and this is the first time I've had to myself to sit down and blog anything. And at 1:15 a.m. no less.

The Boy is thriving in kindergarten. He's made friends, loves his teacher, thinks P.E. is awesome. We had a few moments of worry about another student on his bus initially, but he worked through that problem with a grace and maturity that most fully grown adults lack.

Our mornings have settled into a wonderful routine. After dinner, lunch is packed for the next day and placed in the fridge. We look at the lunch offerings and he chooses the school hot lunch one day a week. Clothes are picked and placed on a special bedroom chair for easy changing the next morning. A story is read each night at 7 p.m. By 7:30 it's lights out. Because everything is prepared the night before, our mornings tend to run smoothly. We have a little hiccup now and then, but thus far we seem to have this getting-to-public-school-on-time thing down.

We even carve out a bit of space for this:

Yes, we're doing a kindergarten picture a day - these are just some of them. Totally his idea. I particularly like Day 26. It was a Monday.

Sometimes I remember to pull out the fancy camera. Sometimes I grab a quick shot with my camera or ipad. We change the number on the chalk board each night so it's not one more thing we're trying to remember in the morning. My plan at the end of the school year is to create a photo book using Mixbook or Shutterfly. Cool present for the grandparents, no?

I'm working (contemplating) getting back into the blogging habit. It seems like the world rushed by at break neck pace this summer and I just didn't have enough hours in the day.

Friday, September 7, 2012

A month again since my last post. So much has been happening. Our little man had a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, and tubes in both ears two weeks ago. Recovery was rough. And while this mama was in the hospital with him I managed to pick up a raging case of strep throat and double ear infections.

Yes. Things have been awesome around here.

Which is why, when my boy started feeling better a few days ago I was thrilled.

Today was his first day of kindergarten. I don't think anything could have held him back. He was SO excited. Excited for the school bus, excited for new friends, excited for a new teacher, excited to learn new things.

Do you remember when you last had that kind of excitement about life? About new possibilities?

It was amazing to see. Inspiring to witness. A little heart breaking because my baby is growing up so fast.

Monday, August 6, 2012

Bless me interwebs, for I have sinned. It's been over a month since my last posting.

We've been busy playing with Legos, reading books, participating in dance recitals and swim lessons, canning, cooking, going to the gym, thinking about washing piles of laundry, etc., etc., etc., We even threw in a round of illness and a severely sprained ankle.

In other words, we've been busy living life.

I did want to take a moment and share two recent photos. The first is of my precious little boy and his dance troupe. We signed him up for Ballet/Tap level one after he went to a take-your-friend-to-dance-class event. He loved it so much that he wanted to go every week. What's a mama to do?

I love this photo so much. The thing that blows my mind is that all of these kids are within a year of each other. 4 and 5 years old. My boy, who is 5 in this picture is clearly on his way to becoming a giant. Is this what happens when you breastfeed for 2.5 years?

Anyhow...I digress. Dance is over for the summer, but he's graduated into Ballet/Tap II and has asked to continue. So we will.

The second photo I want to share with you, dear readers, is of the honey we have brewing on our counter. The Boy and I went to a local shop just outside of town and picked up a gallon of local, raw honey. We came home and poured the honey into quart jars over organic vanilla beans and organic sage freshly plucked from our garden. The vanilla honey will be a nice variation from our usual this fall. The sage honey is specifically for the upcoming sniffles, sore throats and colds that accompany a new school year and winter season.

I'm surprised by how much honey we consume here- between canning, tea, peanut butter and honey sandwiches and as a sweet topper to oatmeal, ice cream, and crisps, we often go through 2 - 3 gallons a year.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

I recently had the opportunity to receive and sample Tropical Traditons Gold Label Coconut Oil, and let me share with you how wonderful it is! Creamy, smooth, light and imparting a hint of that tropical coconut flavor I love....this is truly some of the best coconut oil I've had the pleasure of tasting - or using.

If you haven't tried coconut oil, you definitely should. We use it for a variety of applications in our home, not all of them cooking (although it's great for that too!)

When I opened my heavy 32oz glass jar of Tropical Traditions Gold Label Coconut Oil I knew exactly what my first order of business would be - I set about making some much needed, all natural lotion bars. In a few days I'll post a tutorial with my favorite lotion bar recipe, but I will tell you now this coconut oil imparted a lovely texture and scent to the bars - I was just thrilled with the outcome. I have plans to meet with a friend of mine and spend a whole afternoon making more for personal use.

I've also used my new coconut oil as a dairy free "butter" for an evening snack of salted popcorn. It does give the popcorn a slight coconut-y flavor, but both the 5 year old and I loved it. My husband? Not so much...but he's a well known diary connoisseur so I wasn't really surprised. For my son, who has a dairy intolerance, it was the perfect solution for his popcorn snacking needs.

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To enter the contest, fill out the form below. You must sign up for the Tropical Traditions Sales Newsletter. Earn extra entries by commenting on this blog post and by following this blog, Homemade Serenity.

Disclaimer: TropicalTraditions
provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was
under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any
obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in
return for the free product.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

I am:

a lover of literature, music, good dark chocolate, fruit smoothies, finger painting, beach camping, small furry animals, butterflies, gardening, nature, rays of sun bursting through on a cloudy day and uninterrupted sleep. Blessed mama to an adorable 5 year old and wife to Super Hubby. Trying to live simply and with greater appreciation for each day.